In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old boy studying in Class 10 abducted a 7-year-old boy in Meerpet, Hyderabad, and demanded a ransom of Rs 3 lakh from the child’s parents on Sunday. The juvenile allegedly threatened to kill the boy, Arjun, if the parents did not agree to pay the ransom.
According to the police, Arjun, a resident of PSR Colony, was playing in the neighbourhood with his friend at around 2.30 pm on Sunday, which is when the Class 10 student was returning from his class. He saw Arjun and allegedly planned to abduct him and then demand money from his family. The Class 10 student befriended Arjun and took him near his residence in Almasguda and made him sit inside a temple and then dialled Arjun’s father.
Speaking to Arjun’s father, Raju, the Class 10 student tried to mask his voice and demanded an amount of Rs 3 lakh. He warned Raju not to approach the police and told him that if he did, his son would be killed. Arjun’s father pleaded for his son's safety and tried to negotiate, stating that he will only be able to pay Rs 1.5 lakh, but the juvenile refused to accept it. Then, Raju offered to pay Rs 25,000 in cash and rest of the amount in the form of a cheque, which the juvenile agreed to, the Rachakonda police said.
Speaking to the media, Raju said, “At around 3 pm, we realized that our boy was missing. The caller asked for money and said that if I don't oblige, 'He (Arjun) will never return home'. We panicked and then we filed a complaint at Meerpet police station.”
The police were able to trace the juvenile’s location using intelligence collection, within four hours of the complaint being filed. The juvenile was taken into custody and he confessed to the crime, the police said.
"We caught the juvenile when he came to collect the money from the father," Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat said. The police have stated that the juvenile has a criminal history. He allegedly stole Rs 1 lakh from his neighbour, earlier. However, there was no police case then as both the parties had settled the issue.
"Though the minor is 17 years old, we are going to approach the Juvenile Justice Board, appealing them to treat the arrested accused as a regular offender. There is a provision for it under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, to treat 16 and 17 years old as regular offenders for serious crimes like kidnapping, murder and rape," Mahesh Bhagwat said.